Manel Kape Archives - Cageside Press Cageside Press - Everything MMA! Mon, 22 Jun 2026 22:30:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.6 https://cagesidepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cropped-cagesidepress512-3-32x32.png Manel Kape Archives - Cageside Press 32 32 What’s Next: UFC Vegas 119 Winners https://cagesidepress.com/2026/06/22/whats-next-ufc-vegas-119-winners/ Mon, 22 Jun 2026 22:30:54 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=226203 Not unlike how UFC Vegas 118 was completely outshined by the anticipation of the White House event, UFC Vegas 119 was clearly overshadowed by the fallout of that same event. Nonetheless, this event gave us some upsets, a main card with a 100% finish rate, and a consequential rematch in the main event. With UFC […]

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]]> Not unlike how UFC Vegas 118 was completely outshined by the anticipation of the White House event, UFC Vegas 119 was clearly overshadowed by the fallout of that same event. Nonetheless, this event gave us some upsets, a main card with a 100% finish rate, and a consequential rematch in the main event. With UFC Vegas 119 now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for the winners.

Manel Kape

With this third-round TKO win, “Starboy” avenged a loss from 2017 against Kyoji Horiguchi. By losing the fight up until he wasn’t, Kape reminded everyone that the danger factor is always present when he’s in the cage. This is Kape’s fourth consecutive knockout win against ranked opponents. Even if Alexandre Pantoja is ready to come back and rematches Joshua Van, there should be no doubt about who the backup should be and who should get the next shot: it’s Manel Kape.

Kape’s next fight: Title shot

Navajo Stirling

While the betting odds seemed a bit wide, Navajo Stirling did pass what certainly was his toughest UFC test, thus far. After going to the judges’ scorecards in his first three fights, Stirling has now earned finishes in his last two. I think the sensible increase in competition would bring Stirling to a matchup with veteran Alonzo Menifield. Julius Walker, Oumar Sy and Zhang Mingyang couldn’t pass the Menifield test, let’s see if Stirling can.

Stirling’s next fight: Alonzo Menifield

Christian Rodriguez

After back-to-back losses, a head kick into a nasty guillotine choke that puts Hyder Amil out cold was just what the doctor ordered. Though he’s still quite young, the apparent ceiling on Rodriguez may have come down in people’s eyes, but there is little doubt that he’s going to stick around for a long time. He’s the kind of fighter that is beatable but will beat you if you don’t mind your Ps and Qs. He can grow into a Neil Magny, Dan Ige-type of litmus test for unranked featherweights. He should fight the undefeated featherweight prospect that won spectacularly on this very card.

Rodriguez’s next fight: Murtazali Magomedov

Murtazali Magomedov

Murtazali Magomedov made a splash in his promotional debut, earning a Scottish twister against Melsik Baghdasaryan. He had a difficult strength of schedule on the regional scene and now looks primed to make some noise at 145 lbs. But before we get too carried away, he first needs to pass the test that all undefeated featherweights need to: beat Christian Rodriguez. Rodriguez has taken the 0’s off of multiple fighters in his UFC career. Let’s see if Magomedov’s 0 can survive C-Rod.

Magomedov’s next fight: Christian Rodriguez

Vinicius Oliveira

“LokDog” had to overcome some adversity, but was ultimately successful in his new division, defeating a respected veteran in Andre Fili. There are reasons to be optimistic about Oliveira at featherweight, and another similar test should tell us more about what kind of run we can expect out of the 30-year-old. Someone like Joanderson Brito would not only be a good test, but would certainly produce fireworks.

Oliveira’s next fight: Joanderson Brito

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]]> Manel Kape Says UFC Vegas 119 Showing “Was Enough” For Title Shot https://cagesidepress.com/2026/06/21/ufc-vegas-119-manel-kape-title-shot/ Mon, 22 Jun 2026 01:32:05 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=226161 Las Vegas — It was a very different outcome for flyweight Manel Kape in his rematch with Kyoji Horiguchi at UFC Vegas 119 on Saturday. “When I was young, I was wild. I was fearless, I was very wild,” Kape (23-7) said following the fight, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. That meeting, in […]

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]]> Las Vegas — It was a very different outcome for flyweight Manel Kape in his rematch with Kyoji Horiguchi at UFC Vegas 119 on Saturday.

“When I was young, I was wild. I was fearless, I was very wild,” Kape (23-7) said following the fight, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. That meeting, in 2017 in RIZIN, saw Kape submitted in third round. At the Meta Apex on Saturday, the fight ended in the same round, but it was Kape with a TKO victory.

“This time I had to slow down, be more smart. Time gives you wisdom. Always time gives you wisdom. That time I was too young.”

Kape believes the win over Horiguchi should punch his ticket to a title fight. Joshua Van is the reigning flyweight champ, having defended his title against Tatsuro Taira last month. Alexandre Pantoja, who lost the title to Van due to an injury, is set to return in the near future however.

“It was enough. Even last time when I fight Brandon Royval, it was enough. Everything what I’m doing in the cage, it was enough, because I delivered spectacular [performances], I finished the guys,” said Kape. “But let them fight. I need to take some time off, take care of business, chill out with family, see my friends. I just want to rest a little bit.”

While he’s willing to let Van and Pantoja fight it out, it’s Van who has had some harsh words for Manel Kape in recent times. Kape, however, isn’t taking the bait. Sort of.

“I don’t feeling nothing. I don’t feel nothing. I just beat a guy that’s way better than him. My resume is way better than him,” stated Kape. “He’s just in the position that he is, because I broke my foot. And he stepped ahead against Royval, a fight that he lost, but the knockdown stole the show of course. But guess what? I knocked out Brandon Royval in the first round. Anything he can say, he’s my kid. He’s my kid. I can’t wait to take his diaper.”

And presumably his title.

Watch the full UFC Vegas 119 post-fight press conference with Manel Kape above.

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]]> Kape, Magomedov Earn Bonuses at UFC Vegas 119 https://cagesidepress.com/2026/06/20/kape-magomedov-earn-bonuses-at-ufc-vegas-119/ Sun, 21 Jun 2026 03:34:59 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=226148 The UFC Vegas 119 Performance of the Night bonuses were not the least bit surprising. On a night that saw a Twister submission and a little bit of revenge served up in the main event, it was easy to see who would be taking home an extra $100,000. Seven finishes peppered the 12-fight card overall, […]

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]]> The UFC Vegas 119 Performance of the Night bonuses were not the least bit surprising.

On a night that saw a Twister submission and a little bit of revenge served up in the main event, it was easy to see who would be taking home an extra $100,000. Seven finishes peppered the 12-fight card overall, but two stood head and shoulders above the rest.

Of course, the rarely seen twister pulled off by newcomer Murtazali Magomedov was always going to be one of those. The undefeated, 11-0 featherweight hit the move on Melsik Baghdarsayan, making history in the process. Only three other fighters have landed twisters in the UFC: Magomedov joins The Korean Zombie, Bryce Mitchell, and Da’Mon Blackshear in the history books; coincidentally, Zombie and Mitchell were also competing as featherweights when they hit it. Like Magomedov, TKZ hit it in his UFC debut (after competing in the WEC, which was later merged into the promotion to introduce the lighter weight classes).

Manel Kape, meanwhile, earned a come-from-behind TKO victory in the third round of the night’s main event. After losing to Kyoji Horiguchi under the RIZIN banner back in 2017, he earned some revenge on Saturday. And, quite possibly, a title fight. What is a definite is that he took home a Performance bonus, and the accompanying 100K.

Fight of the Night at UFC Vegas 119 went to Vinicius Oliveira vs. Andre Fili, which saw Brazil’s Oliveira finish Fili by TKO in the second round.

The remaining finishers on the card all get $25,000 for their stoppages; those are Navajo Stirling, Christian Rodriguez, Bia Mesquita, and Levan Chokheli.

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]]> UFC Vegas 119: Manel Kape Gets Revenge in Come-From-Behind TKO of Kyoji Horiguchi https://cagesidepress.com/2026/06/20/ufc-vegas-119-manel-kape-gets-revenge-in-come-from-behind-tko-of-kyoji-horiguchi/ Sun, 21 Jun 2026 02:20:43 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=226075 Since returning to the UFC last year, Japan’s Kyoji Horiguchi has reinserted himself into the flyweight title conversation, and on Saturday looked to make the next step in a rematch with fellow contender Manel Kape. Kape and Horiguchi had first met in Japan’s RIZIN prior to COVID, with Horiguchi coming away with the victory over […]

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]]> Since returning to the UFC last year, Japan’s Kyoji Horiguchi has reinserted himself into the flyweight title conversation, and on Saturday looked to make the next step in a rematch with fellow contender Manel Kape.

Kape and Horiguchi had first met in Japan’s RIZIN prior to COVID, with Horiguchi coming away with the victory over “Starboy.” With Kape now holding the #2 ranking in the UFC’s flyweight division, a second win over the Angolan fighter might just clear the path to the belt for Horiguchi – dependent on when teammate Alexandre Pantoja was ready to return from injury at least.

The timetable will be the difference between champ Joshua Van fighting the winner of Kape vs. Horiguchi later this year, or getting the rematch with Pantoja next. Either way, UFC Vegas 119 was key in the title aspirations for both headliners.

Horiguchi opened Saturday’s rematch with a leg kick, then had a second kicking attack caught and was nearly dumped. Horiguchi scrambled free and reset, going back to the well with his kicks, which Kape attempted to answer. Kape landed a couple then nearly caught another Horiguchi kick. Moments later, it was Manel Kape getting the better of the pair’s first real exchange, while Horiguchi followed that with an overhand right.

Kape went on the offensive next, but was hit by a counter left by Horiguchi. Another reset was followed by a kick from Kape, who fanned on his next punch then nearly found himself tripped up by a leg kick. Horiguchi changed levels with 90 seconds left in the round, but Kape was successful in fighting off the takedown attempt. Horiguchi landed a solid kick to the body just ahead of the 30 second mark, and this time, it landed with too much impact for Kape to catch. A late takedown was there for Horiguchi, and he finished the round on top.

Round two saw another Horiguchi kick land early, with Manel falling short on a sloppy jumping attack immediately after. A left hand landed for Kyoji, and Kape appeared to feel it. Another left hand was there for Horiguchi, off an inside kick, and Kape went down, though he was more pushed over than knocked down. Either way, the result was the same: Kyoji Horiguchi had top position with over three minutes still on the clock.

With his corner directing him, Horiguchi fired an elbow and landed a few solid shots on Kape, who was will away from the fence. Kape had his guard closed, and didn’t seem capable of creating a scramble, instead accepting the position despite Horiguchi still slipping elbows through. In the final minute, Horiguchi slipped one leg through Kape’s guard, putting him in a better position to land ground n’ pound.

With Horiguchi potentially up 20-18 after two, Kape came out hot to start round three, looking to get in the Japanese star’s face. Horiguchi was quick on his feet, defended well, and eventually countered with a few solid shots of his own, getting back in the driver’s seat.

Two minutes in, Kape landed a leg kick, but Horiguchi checked it, and Manel dropped to the mat briefly. He’d get back up, and moments later, he cracked Horiguchi with a right hand, hurting him! Kyoji, winning the fight to that point, wound up on his knees, Kape landing bombs on him. The ref gave him a chance, but Horiguchi couldn’t escape, and a Kape uppercut, thrown from the back, came underneath and caught Horiguchi on the chin, face planting him. That was all she wrote, and Manel Kape had his revenge, and quite possibly a title shot.

Official Result: Manel Kape def. Kyoji Horiguchi by TKO, Round 3, 2:42

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]]> Manel Kape Refuses to Look Past Kyoji Horiguchi Despite Title Stakes https://cagesidepress.com/2026/06/19/manel-kape-refuses-to-look-past-kyoji-horiguchi-despite-title-stakes/ Fri, 19 Jun 2026 14:34:49 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=225941 Manel Kape isn’t interested in hearing about what happened the last time he fought Kyoji Horiguchi. As far as the flyweight contender is concerned, the fearless kid who stepped into the ring years ago has evolved into a completely different fighter with the tools, experience, and confidence to finally flip the script. Now, with a […]

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]]> Manel Kape isn’t interested in hearing about what happened the last time he fought Kyoji Horiguchi. As far as the flyweight contender is concerned, the fearless kid who stepped into the ring years ago has evolved into a completely different fighter with the tools, experience, and confidence to finally flip the script.

Now, with a potential title shot on the line, Kape says he’ll show exactly why he’s become one of the UFC’s most dangerous flyweights when he meets Horiguchi in the main event of UFC Vegas 119 on Saturday night.

“He’s a good fighter. Back in (that) time I didn’t have (any) resources, the structure, what I have right now. I only was the fearless young kid. I was a Ferrari in the wrong garage,” Kape told reporters on Wednesday.

“Right now I have everything (that) I dreamed to have, what I need to be a better athlete and to face him. One thing I can tell right now, I’m the side A, and he’s the side B.”

While Kape acknowledged the unique challenges Horiguchi brings to the table, he believes the matchup is compelling because both men possess elite speed and timing. The difference, in Kape’s mind, is that he also carries the kind of power that can change a fight in an instant.

“He posses the speed, the timing. He has unique style, he’s a great athlete. I posses the power, I possess the timing, and I possess the speed as well. It’s going to be interesting (fight),” he said.

Kape isn’t lacking confidence heading into this one. While he made it clear he has plenty of respect for Horiguchi and isn’t taking him lightly, the Angolan star believes his skill set is on another level and plans to prove exactly that when they meet inside the Octagon.

“I can do whatever I want inside the cage. I’m very confident in my abilities and my skills. I don’t underestimate him, never anyone, but I’m a different boy,” he said.

Kape knows exactly what’s at stake, but he isn’t interested in getting caught up in title talk before handling business against Horiguchi. For the flyweight contender, any conversation about championship opportunities can wait until after he’s taken care of the former champion on Saturday night.

“To be honest I’m not thinking about this. My focus is on Kyoji totally. 100% of my focus is on Kyoji Horiguchi,” said Kape.

“The title show is another conversation after the fight. Saturday night and then we can talk about the picture of the belt.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Manel Kape above. He faces Kyoji Horiguchi at UFC Vegas 119 on Saturday night.

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]]> UFC Vegas 119: Kape vs. Horiguchi Weigh-In Results https://cagesidepress.com/2026/06/19/ufc-vegas-119-kape-vs-horiguchi-weigh-in-results/ Fri, 19 Jun 2026 12:00:25 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=225928 Flyweights will take center stage in the main event of UFC Vegas 119, with Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi looking to push closer to a title shot. The pair have crossed paths before. That was back in RIZIN in Japan, in 2017, with Kyoji taking the win. Horiguchi, a former UFC title challenger in the […]

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]]> Flyweights will take center stage in the main event of UFC Vegas 119, with Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi looking to push closer to a title shot.

The pair have crossed paths before. That was back in RIZIN in Japan, in 2017, with Kyoji taking the win. Horiguchi, a former UFC title challenger in the Demetrious Johnson era, had left the company on a win streak, moved to RIZIN and Bellator, winning bantamweight gold in each simultaneously. A knee injury would see him vacate both titles, but he’d later return, and win a second title in RIZIN at flyweight.

Then came his surprise return to the UFC last year, where he’s gone 2-0 to date. He’s still gunning to be the first-ever Japanese UFC champion, and Saturday at UFC Vegas 119 will give him a chance to take the next step.

Weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 119 take place Friday in Las Vegas starting at 12PM ET, 9AM PT. Results can be found below.

UFC Vegas 119: Kape vs. Horiguchi Weigh-In Results

Main card

Flyweight: Manel Kape (126) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi (125)
Light Heavyweight: Ion Cuțelaba (205.5) vs. Navajo Stirling (205)
Featherweight: Hyder Amil (145) vs. Christian Rodriguez (145.5)
Featherweight: Melsik Baghdasaryan (145.5) vs. Murtazali Magomedov (146)
Featherweight: Andre Fili (145.5) vs. Vinicius Oliveira (145.5)

Preliminary card

Flyweight: André Lima (126) vs. Kevin Borjas (129)*
Women’s Bantamweight: Beatriz Mesquita (136) vs. Melissa Mullins (135.5)
Flyweight: Allan Nascimento (126) vs. Mitch Raposo (125.5)
Featherweight: Gastón Bolaños (146) vs. Michael Aswell Jr. (146)
Welterweight: Leon Shahbazyan (170.5) vs. Levan Chokheli (170.5)
Women’s Bantamweight: Karol Rosa (135.5) vs. Luana Santos (136)
Featherweight: Shane Collins (145.5) vs. Otari Tanzilovi (145)

* Missed Weight, Borjas fined 20%

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]]> Five Fights Including Headliner Announced for UFC Vegas 119 https://cagesidepress.com/2026/05/01/ufc-vegas-119-five-fights/ Fri, 01 May 2026 22:58:37 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=223818 The UFC has officially announced five fights for UFC Vegas 119 at the Meta Apex this June. The Fight Night card will take place on June 20, 2026, headlined by a matchup between two top-ranked flyweights. This time under the UFC banner, #2 Manel Kape (22-7) will get another crack at #5 Kyoji Horiguchi (36-5). […]

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]]> The UFC has officially announced five fights for UFC Vegas 119 at the Meta Apex this June.

The Fight Night card will take place on June 20, 2026, headlined by a matchup between two top-ranked flyweights. This time under the UFC banner, #2 Manel Kape (22-7) will get another crack at #5 Kyoji Horiguchi (36-5). The two first met back in 2017 in the final round of the RIZIN Fighting World Grand Prix, where Horiguchi defeated Kape by submission.

Also officially added to the card is a women’s bantamweight clash between #15 Bia Mesquita (7-0) and Melissa Mullins (7-2). It’s an interesting booking, as Mesquita is coming off a breakout submission win over Montse Rendon, while Mullins receives ranked opposition after a decision loss to Darya Zheleznyakova.

Moving to the men’s flyweight division, undefeated André Lima (11-0) returns to battle veteran Kevin Borjas (10-5). It has been over a year since Lima’s last Octagon appearance, and he’ll look to make it two consecutive finishes against Borjas, who has been active himself. Facing a quick turnaround after being knocked out by Imanol Rodriguez in February, Borjas will be desperate to defy the odds and get back on track with a win over Lima.

Another undefeated prospect, Navajo Stirling (9-0), will look to score his second UFC finish, this time against improved competition in Ion Cutelaba (20-11-1). Both light heavyweights were victorious in their most recent appearances, though Cutelaba will give Stirling a new look in the cage, as his last two wins have come by submission.

A fiery featherweight matchup is also set, as Hyder Amil (11-2) and Christian Rodriguez (12-4) fight for security on the roster. Both men are staring at two losses in their last two outings, but a competitive throwdown could be in order, with major implications for the future of their UFC careers.

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]]> What’s Next: UFC Vegas 112 Winners https://cagesidepress.com/2025/12/15/whats-next-ufc-vegas-112-winners/ Mon, 15 Dec 2025 19:40:45 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=218743 There’s something fitting about the ESPN era ending with an Apex card, but I have to say, this one wasn’t half bad. UFC Vegas 112 had some important fights between relevant names and gave us some highlight-reel finishes. The card featured Yaroslav Amosov’s long overdue UFC debut, one of the sport’s brightest prospects in Kevin […]

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]]> There’s something fitting about the ESPN era ending with an Apex card, but I have to say, this one wasn’t half bad. UFC Vegas 112 had some important fights between relevant names and gave us some highlight-reel finishes. The card featured Yaroslav Amosov’s long overdue UFC debut, one of the sport’s brightest prospects in Kevin Vallejos and was headlined by a title eliminator.  What more can you ask from an Apex show? With the last card of 2025 now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for our main card winners.

Manel Kape

With Joshua Van’s win last week at UFC 323, the state of the title picture in the flyweight division was in the air. Not knowing how long Pantoja will be out for with his injured arm, Dana White did say there was a good chance that Van would defend before “The Cannibal” could be back. With Kyoji Horiguchi booked against Amir Albazi in February, Tatsuro Taira was probably the frontrunner to face Van. However, this entire ordeal also opened the door for both men in UFC Vegas 112’s main event.

Brandon Royval was coming off a fight of the year contender with Van (who wouldn’t want to see that rematch?) and has a win over Taira. But the man everyone had their eye on was Manel Kape. The man they call “Starboy” made short work of the former title challenger, knocking him out in just 3:18. Royval had only been finished with strikes once before and that was due to an injury; Kape is the first to separate him from his consciousness.

It might’ve taken longer than anticipated when he first came into the UFC, but the 32-year-old has finally delivered on the hype and should be fighting for the title next. I know I said the same thing about Tatsuro Taira last week, but Kape’s win over Royval eclipses Taira’s over Moreno. Whether it’s in the next couple months or after a Van vs Pantoja rematch, Manel Kape’s next fight has to be for a title.

Kape’s next fight: Title shot

Kevin Vallejos

The Argentinian, who had turned 24 just five days prior to the bout, offered himself a sweet birthday present as he became the first man to ever finish Giga Chikadze with strikes. After a slow start in the first round, Vallejos made quick work of the Georgian in the second, backing Chikadze to the fence and landing a nasty spinning backfist as he was retreating to his left. The elbows that followed on the ground put him out.

After this win, Vallejos will most likely be ranked come Tuesday, which makes it hard to matchmake for him. He’s barely 24, there shouldn’t be any rush to have face the division’s top dogs, yet his quick rise will make these kinds of matchups inevitable. It’s been common practice for the UFC to test their top prospects with hard stylistic matchups just to see what they had. Every prospect known for their striking gets thrown in there with a grappler at some point to see if they can pass that test. I think it’s time for Vallejos for face a grappler and Pat Sabatini, who’s on a three-fight win streak, fits that profile perfectly.

Vallejos’ next fight: Pat Sabatini

Cezary Oleksiejczuk

It’s hard to tell whether the idea of ‘Cesar vs Cezary’ was intentional from the UFC, but in hindsight, that gimmick was probably the most interesting thing about this fight. The younger brother of Michal turned heads after earning a contract in just 36 seconds on the Contender Series, so this matchup was meant to be fireworks. But the Polish fighter opted for the safer route of just riding control time to an easy unanimous decision. In a way, this could be seen as a sign of maturity and good fight iQ, as it might not be wise to stand and bang with the former Glory kickboxer. However, this does tell us that the 25-year-old is still very green and shouldn’t be thrown to the wolves just yet. I think the soon-to-be 38-year-old Brad Tavares would serve as a logical next test for Oleksiejczuk who clearly still needs to iron some things out.

Oleksiejczuk’s next fight: Brad Tavares

Melquizael Costa

He won’t win Fighter of the Year, because it’s virtually impossible for an unranked fighter to take home that award, but Melquizael Costa deserves some kind of recognition for the year he’s had. He didn’t simply go 4-0, he went 4-0 against very respectable names. He began his year with a 3-0 stretch in the span of just 85 days and punctuated it with a stunning head kick KO. After losing his promotional debut to Thiago Moises on short notice a division up, he’s gone 6-1 at featherweight with his sole loss coming to the red hot top10 ranked Steve Garcia. At 29, Costa seems to be putting the pieces together and I think he has earned a shot at the rankings. David Onama needs to regroup after his last performance, let’s see what he can do against “The Dalmatian”.

Costa’s next fight: David Onama

King Green

There’s something both impressive and commendable about a veteran like King Green to still be able to squeak out split decisions like these at age 39. This is someone who’s been through the ringer as his strength of schedule speaks for itself, yet he’s still out here winning UFC fights. However, I think the hard miles his body has put on through the years are becoming increasingly apparent. He still deserves to be employed, but his days of fighting the Mauricio Ruffys and Paddy Pimbletts of the world should be over. I think the perfect opponent is Michael Johnson. It’s kind of baffling that those two have never met in the octagon. Win or lose against Alexander Hernandez next month, I want to see Johnson face Green next.

Green’s next fight: Michael Johnson

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]]> Heavyweight Slobberknocker Earns Fight of the Night at UFC Vegas 112 https://cagesidepress.com/2025/12/14/heavyweight-slobberknocker-earns-fight-of-the-night-ufc-vegas-112/ Sun, 14 Dec 2025 15:47:53 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=218733 The ESPN era has come to a close, with Saturday night’s UFC Vegas 112 marking the final UFC event on the sports leader prior to the promotion moving to Paramount+ in 2026. That meant one last round of post-fight bonuses to be awarded prior to them increasing in amount next year (by just how much […]

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]]> The ESPN era has come to a close, with Saturday night’s UFC Vegas 112 marking the final UFC event on the sports leader prior to the promotion moving to Paramount+ in 2026.

That meant one last round of post-fight bonuses to be awarded prior to them increasing in amount next year (by just how much has yet to be revealed). And one heavyweight bout shucked the trend of boring stallfests, earning Fight of the Night for an absolute slobberknocker of a scrap on Saturday.

That was Steven Asplund versus Sean Sharaf, which saw Asplund making his UFC debut after winning on the Contender Series earlier this year. While it wasn’t always pretty in a technical sense, it was violent, bloody, and all action. A jab from Asplund in the opening round opened up a nasty cut on Sharaf, but a well-placed one in a sense: right between the eyes, bloody but not completely obscuring his vision, and not bad enough for the cageside physician to stop the bout.

Instead, the fight carried on into the second round, where both Sharaf, looking for his first UFC victory after losing his own debut in 2024, and Asplund had their moments. The cardio of Asplund was the difference-maker, however: the man who had once weighed over 500 pounds had plenty in the tank and was able to wear down Sharaf, hemming him in more than once, winging lefts, rights, and uppercuts. Sharaf, tough as nails, wouldn’t go down, and instead the ref finally saved him from his own doggedness with the fight still standing.

Before it was even over, it was all but a lock for Fight of the Night. Not a bad start to Asplund’s career, with an extra $50,000 in his pocket. As for Sharaf, perhaps the loss will sting a bit less, and he’ll likely get another chance for a first UFC victory.

Performance of the Night bonuses at UFC Vegas 112 went to headliner Manel Kape, who knocked out Brandon Royval in the first round, and Kevin Vallejos. Giga Chikadze had promised to send the Argentinian “back to kindergarten,” deeming the co-main event fight too much of a step up for Vallejos, but Vallejos had other plans. He stopped Chikadze in the second round with a spinning back fist and a few follow-up punches.

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]]> Manel Kape Knocks Out Brandon Royval in First Round, Shakes Up Flyweight Title Picture https://cagesidepress.com/2025/12/14/manel-kape-knocks-out-brandon-royval-in-first-round-shakes-up-flyweight-title-picture/ Sun, 14 Dec 2025 06:06:21 +0000 https://cagesidepress.com/?p=218678 UFC Vegas 112 closed out the year with a high-stakes flyweight showdown, as Brandon Royval and Manel Kape stepped into the spotlight for a main event that could reshape the title picture. Both contenders arrived on Saturday night prepared to make a definitive statement in a division suddenly wide open. Royval (17-8) is looking to […]

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UFC Vegas 112 closed out the year with a high-stakes flyweight showdown, as Brandon Royval and Manel Kape stepped into the spotlight for a main event that could reshape the title picture. Both contenders arrived on Saturday night prepared to make a definitive statement in a division suddenly wide open.

Royval (17-8) is looking to climb back into title contention following his loss to Joshua Van at UFC 317, a setback that snapped his two-fight winning streak. That victory propelled Van into a championship bout with Alexandre Pantoja, where he went on to claim the flyweight title.

Kape (21-7) aimed to secure his third straight victory by defeating Royval at the UFC APEX. Though injuries and inconsistency have disrupted his UFC run, a win over a recent title challenger could be enough to place him firmly in the conversation for a shot at Van.

Round 1 – Kape opened the fight by attacking Royval’s lead leg with calf kicks, testing the movement of the ever-elusive flyweight. Royval responded with body kicks, clearly intent on avoiding prolonged exchanges inside Kape’s punching range. The two continued trading kicks as they worked to establish rhythm.

Royval landed a hard body kick that forced a reaction from Kape, though he wasn’t close enough to capitalize. Gaining confidence, Royval began to open up with combinations, many partially blocked or missing the mark, but enough to keep Kape on the defensive.

Kape then pressed forward after another body kick, firing a flurry that nearly backed Royval to the fence. During an exchange, Royval appeared to tweak something, briefly limping before resettling into his pace.

But moments later, Kape found the opening he needed. He cracked Royval with a clean, heavy right hand that dropped him instantly, prompting Herb Dean to wave off the fight.

A massive statement win for Manel Kape.

Official Result: Manel Kape def. Brandon Royval via R1 TKO, 3:18

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